Ice skate blade

ABSTRACT

An ice-skate blade includes a central main runner and side-runners positioned on opposite sides of the main runner. The blade includes three zones separated in the longitudinal direction of the blade, namely an essentially central glide zone 8, 9, having one or more runners located on the same level, and a rear zone and a front zone having side-runners which extend on respective sides of the main runner and which are located at a higher level than the main runner, so as to grip the ice only when the blade is tilted. The side-runners extend along the full length of the main runner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an ice-skate blade which includes acentral main runner and side-runners positioned on respective sides ofthe main runner.

A conventional ice skate has a continuous elongated blade. Depending onthe use for which the ice skate is intended, the blade will have adifferent curvature in its longitudinal direction, so as to vary thesurface along which it has contact with the ice. For instance, in thecase of ice-skates that are intended for speed-skating, the blade isrelatively long and generally straight so as to provide a long abutmentsurface with the ice and therewith will generate less friction. On theother hand, ice skates that are intended for ice-hockey players have arelatively pronounced curvature in their longitudinal direction, so asto shorten the ice contacting surface and enable the player to turn moreeffectively. This blade curvature may also vary between skates that areintended for defensive players and skates that are intended forattacking players, since the nature of the turns performed by suchplayers place different requirements on the turning ability of theskates.

The blade is normally ground to an elongated hollow or cupped shape,such as to provide two ice-engaging edges and therewith provide the bestpossible engagement of the blade with the ice. The deeper the hollow,the better the grip obtained. This is achieved, however, at the cost ofimpaired sliding or skating action, since the edges cut deeper into theice. This prevents the length over which the blade makes contact withthe ice from being made too short, since the pressure at which the skatebears on the ice, and therewith the extent to which the blade cuts intothe ice, will increase with shorter contact lengths.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,658 teaches an ice skate blade which includes alongitudinally extending main runner and side-runners placed onrespective sides thereof. A common feature of all the bladeconfigurations described in this specification is that the main runnerand side-runners extend parallel with one another along the full lengthof the blade, such that coaction between the main runner and theside-runners is the same along the full length of the blade.

WO 82/00255 describes an ice skate which includes a main runner andside-runners positioned on respective sides of the main runner. Theseside-runners are located at a higher level than the cutting edge of themain runner along the whole of their length. The purpose of this is toimprove the mechanical strength and the stability of the main runner,and also to reduce the load on the ankle. In this regard, it is alsonoted that under certain conditions, the side-runners provide a firmergrip on the ice.

In our earlier International Patent Application Publication No.WO94/1678, there is described an ice skate which includes a main runnerand side-runners positioned on a respective side of the main runner,wherein the main runner is discontinuous so as to provide a front and arear glide surface. In this case, the side-runners are located at alower level than the main runner over a central part of the bladeconstruction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the present invention is to improve the glidingproperties of an ice-skate blade while retaining or improving theability with which turns can be made on the ice and also the engagementof the blade with the ice.

The invention is based on the concept that the aforesaid object can beachieved with the aid of a blade that has a central main runner andside-runners on respective sides of the main runner. The side-runnershave a relatively deep hollow and are utilized to obtain a good gripwith the ice when moving forward abruptly from a stationary position andwhen turning on the ice, which enables the main runner to have arelatively shallow hollow, therewith improving the gliding properties ofthe runner, in accordance with the aforegoing.

According to the invention, the side-runners take-over the function ofthe main runner when accelerating suddenly on the ice from a stationaryposition, and when turning and skid-stopping on the ice, therewithenabling the configuration of the main runner and the way that it isground to be optimized so as to obtain the best gliding ability andturning ability on the ice. As evident from the foregoing, it isimportant to the gliding ability of the skate that the blade does notcut to an unnecessary depth in the ice, and that the length of blade incontact with the ice should be minimized to achieve the best turningability. Both of these requirements are fulfilled in accordance with theinvention.

An ice-skate blade constructed in accordance with the invention ismainly characterized in that the blade includes three longitudinallyseparated parts or zones, i.e. a generally central glide-part having oneor more runners on mutually the same level, and a rear part and a frontpart having side-runners which extend on a respective side of the mainrunner, these side-runners being located at a higher level than the mainrunner so as to make contact with the ice only when the skate isinclined relative thereto.

A blade of this construction combines the advantage of a large abutmentsurface over a relatively short, central glide-part of the main runnerwith sharp runners which provide effective and sharp engagement with theice and which have the form of side-runners along the front and the rearparts of the main runner.

According to one embodiment, the side-runners extend along the fulllength of the main runner, wherein the glide-part of the main runner issuitably longer than the glide-parts of the side-runners.

According to another embodiment, the width of the main runner over thecentral glide-part corresponds to the sum of the widths of the mainrunner and the two side-runners at the front and the rear parts of theblade respectively.

Preferably, the radius of curvature of the front and the rear parts ofthe side-runners will be smaller than the radius of curvature of thecorresponding parts of the main runner, so as to further improvemaneuverability.

According to one particularly preferred embodiment, the main runner andthe side-runners are ground in a common blade. All runners are therewithhollow-ground and include two ice-engagement edges, wherein mutuallyadjacent runners have a common edge. The main runner is convenientlyground to a shallower hollow than the side-runners.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference toexemplifying embodiments thereof and also with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional ice-hockey skate;

FIGS. 1A and 1B are respective enlarged sectional views taken on theline I--I in FIG. 1, with the skate vertical and tilted respectively;

FIG. 2 illustrates an ice skate having a modified blade in accordancewith the invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are enlarged sectional views taken on the line II--II inFIG. 2 and show respectively a vertical and a tilted blade;

FIGS. 3A-3C are enlarged sectional views taken on the line III--III inFIG. 2 and show respectively a vertical blade and two different bladeinclinations relative to the ice;

FIG. 4 is a view taken obliquely from beneath an ice skate fitted withan inventive blade, and shows the skate in the performance of a turn ora stop-skid; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a separate inventive blade from one side andin perspective obliquely from beneath respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates an ice-hockey skate 1 having a main blade 2 which isfirmly mounted in a plastic body 3. The illustrated blade has arelatively long glide-part 7, which reduces the specific pressure on theice 4, wherewith the gliding ability of the skate increases when skatingforward with the blade in an upright position substantiallyperpendicular to the surface of the ice. The long glide-part has anegative influence on the maneuverability of the skate, however.

The illustrated main blade has been ground to a conventional hollow orcupped shape (see FIGS. 1A and 1B) so as to provide the requisite gripon the ice when making a fast, abrupt start from a standstill position,when making turns on the ice and when performing stop-skids. When theskate glides forwards in a straight line, the two edges of the runnerwill make contact with the ice, FIG. 1A, whereas when the skate istilted only one or the other edge will make contact with the ice (FIG.1B). It is necessary to adapt the extent of the hollow to the individualrequirements of the person concerned, so as to achieve a balance betweengood engagement with the ice and good gliding ability of the skate. Thedeeper the hollow, the better the engagement of the blade with the ice,although at the cost of the ability of the blade to glide. The depth ofthe hollow must also be adapted to the weight of the player concernedand to the hardness of the ice.

As will be evident from the Figure, a conventional ice-hockey skateblade will be curved in its longitudinal direction in a manner toprovide a relatively short ice-engagement surface, this curve beinglocated generally centrally beneath the foot. The length of theice-engagement surface is adapted to the requirements of the individual,wherewith a defensive player will normally desire a shorter engagementsurface than an attacking player, so as to obtain better turningability. However, the ice-engagement surface cannot be made too short,because the surface pressure would then become so great as to cause theblade to bite much too deeply into the ice.

In the case of an inventive blade, see FIG. 2, which in addition to amain runner 5 also includes side-runners 6 extending on opposite sidesof the main runner, the glide-part 8 can be made much shorter andtherewith considerably improve maneuverability. This is made possiblebecause the side-runners 6 are located on the same level as the mainrunner 5 over the glide-part 8, which is therewith given a largersurface area and accordingly improved supportability over this part ofthe blade, see FIG. 2A, despite the length of said part being relativelyshort.

The gliding ability of the blade is also improved because the mainrunner 5 can have a relatively shallow hollow, as when the skate istilted to one side, the relevant outer runner takes over contact withthe ice 4, see FIG. 2B, therewith providing very effectiveice-engagement.

The short glide surface and the engagement of respective side-runnerswith the ice when the blade is tilted provide for a highly effectiveturning ability while, at the same time, retaining the gliding abilityof the blade as a result of the coaction between the side-runners andthe main runner when skating forwards in a straight line.

By "glide-part" is meant the essentially straight part of the blade 2which makes contact with the ice when the skate is upright and theskater skates forward in a straight line. In the case of the blade shownin FIG. 2, it is preferred that the glide-part of the main runner 5 isslightly longer than the glide-parts of the side-runners 6.

As an alternative to a main runner and two side-runners that have beenground in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the glide-part 8 ofthe blade 2 may have the form of a broader main runner having the samewidth as the sum of the widths of the main runner and the twoside-runners at the front and the rear parts of the blade. Theglide-part of the blade can therewith be ground to provide a shallowhollow or may alternatively be ground flat.

Particularly when making a fast start from a standstill position or whenturning on the ice, the skater will normally angle his/her foot and legso as to shift the ice-contact to the forward or the rearward parts ofthe blade. In order to provide the best effect in these situations, theside-runners 6 are located at a higher level than the main runner 5 overthe front and the rear blade parts. In this regard, only the main runner5 will make contact with the ice when skating forward in a straight linebut with the ice-contact shifted from the central part of the blade, seeFIG. 3A. When making a fast start from a stationary position or whenturning on the ice the skate is angled and the two gripping edges of oneside-runner 6 will engage the ice, see FIG. 3B. If the blade is tiltedto a greater extent, the full engagement of the blade with the ice willbe shifted to the outer gripping edge of the side-runner 6, see FIG. 3C.Highly effective engagement with the ice is achieved in this position.

As shown in FIG. 4, the main runner 5 and the side-runners 6 of theillustrated blade are located on the same level along a substantial part9 of the glide-part of the main runner, whereas the side-runners 6 havea smaller radius of curvature than the main runner at those parts whichlie forwardly and rearwardly of the glide-part respectively. In thebraking position shown in the Figure, one outer runner of the blade willengage the ice, as illustrated in FIG. 2B.

In the case of the blade shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the glide-parts ofthe side-runners 6 are referenced 10 and the longer glide-part of themain runner 5 is referenced 11.

For the sake of simplicity, none of the Figures show the blade sectionsbiting into the surface of the ice, and the illustrated blade sectionsthus correspond to conditions that prevail when skating on very hardice. However, the principles are the same even when skating on ice whichis less firm and into which the edges of the runners will cut relativelydeeply. The depth to which the hollows of respective runners are groundshould thus be adapted to the quality of the ice concerned and also tothe weight of the skater.

As illustrated, it is preferred that all runners are "facet-ground" in asteel blade which is common to all runners and which may be secured tothe shoe in a conventional manner. The blades may also be exchangeable.It is also conceivable to construct a blade of several mutually joinedthinner blades, each representing a runner. All runners are preferablyhollow-ground, wherein the main runner will have a shallower hollow orcupped shape than the side-runners. The main runner may alternatively beground flat, in order to improve gliding properties.

It will be understood that the inventive principles may also be appliedwith skates that are intended for purposes other than those mentioned,such as bandy, speed-skating and long-distance skating. The variationsdemanded by the special requirements placed on the blade with eachseparate application can be determined by the person skilled in this artand lie within the scope of the present invention.

I claim:
 1. An ice-skate blade, comprising:a) a single blade comprisinga sharp-edged main runner (5) flanked by a pair of sharp-edgedside-runners (6) disposed on opposite sides of the main runner, b)wherein:i) the single blade defines in succession, in a longitudinaldirection of the blade, a front zone, a central glide zone (8; 9), and arear zone, ii) in the central glide zone the runners are disposed atsubstantially the same level, and iii) the side-runners in the front andrear zones are disposed at a higher level than the main runner, so as togrip the ice only when the blade is tilted.
 2. A blade according toclaim 1, wherein the side-runners extend along the full length of themain runner (5).
 3. A blade according to claim 2, wherein a glide-length(11) of the main runner is longer than glide-length (10) of theside-runners (6).
 4. A blade according to claim 1, wherein the centralglide-zone of the main runner has a width which corresponds to the sumof the widths of the main runner and the two side-runners at the frontand rear zones of the blade.
 5. A blade according to claim 1, whereinsaid central glide zone extends over one third or less of the totallongitudinal length of said blade.
 6. An ice-skate blade, comprising:a)a single blade comprising a main runner (5) flanked by a pair ofside-runners (6) disposed on opposite sides of the main runner, b)wherein:i) the single blade defines in succession, in a longitudinaldirection of the blade, a front zone, a central glide zone (8; 9), and arear zone, ii) in the central glide zone the runners are disposed atsubstantially the same level, iii) the side-runners in the front andrear zones are disposed at a higher level than the main runner, so as togrip the ice only when the blade is tilted, and iv) the side-runnersforwardly of and rearwardly of the central glide-zone have a smallerradius of curvature in the longitudinal direction than correspondingparts of the main runner.
 7. A blade according to claim 6, wherein theside-runners extend along the full length of the main runner (5).
 8. Ablade according to claim 7, wherein a glide-length (11) of the mainrunner is longer than glide-lengths (10) of the side-runners (6).
 9. Ablade according to claim 6, wherein the central glide-zone of the mainrunner has a width which corresponds to the sum of the widths of themain runner and the two side-runners at the front and rear zones of theblade.
 10. A blade according to claim 6, wherein both the main runnerand the side-runners are ground in a common blade (2).
 11. A bladeaccording to claim 10, wherein all runners are ground to a hollow orcupped configuration and each has two ice-gripping edges.
 12. A bladeaccording to claim 11, wherein juxtaposed runners have a common edge.13. A blade according to claim 11, wherein the hollow ground in the mainrunner is shallower than the hollow ground in the side-runners.
 14. Anice-skate blade, comprising:a) a main runner (5) flanked by a pair ofside-runners (6) disposed on opposite sides of the main runner, b)wherein:i) the blade defines in succession, in a longitudinal directionof the blade, a front zone, a central glide zone (8; 9), and a rearzone, ii) in the central glide zone the runners are disposed atsubstantially the same level, iii) the side-runners in the front andrear zones are disposed at a hither level than the main runner, so as togrip the ice only when the blade is tilted, and iv) wherein both themain runner and the side-runners are ground in a common blade (2).
 15. Ablade according to claim 14, wherein all runners are ground to a hollowor cupped configuration and each has two ice-gripping edges.
 16. A bladeaccording to claim 15, wherein juxtaposed runners have a common edge.17. A blade according to claim 15, wherein in that the hollow ground inthe main runner is shallower than the hollow ground in the side-runners.18. A blade according to claim 14, wherein the side-runners extend alongthe full length of the main runner (5).
 19. A blade according to claim18, wherein a glide-length (11) of the main runner is longer thanglide-lengths (10) of the side-runners (6).
 20. A blade according toclaim 14, wherein the central glide-zone of the main runner has a widthwhich corresponds to the sum of the widths of the main runner and thetwo side-runners at the front and rear zones of the blade.
 21. A bladeaccording to claim 14, wherein the side-runners forwardly of andrearwardly of the central glide-zone have a smaller radius of curvaturein the longitudinal direction than corresponding parts of the mainrunner.